Comic Book Review: ‘Justice League’ #2

Last issue, we were introduced to Green Lantern, Batman, and (on the final page), Superman. ‘Justice League’ #2 adds the Flash to that mix. The issue picks up shortly after the ending of ‘Justice League’ #1 in which Green Lantern and Batman met up while going after an alien menace. They assumed that, since the villain was alien, that maybe the mysterious “Superman” of Metropolis might know something about it. Misunderstandings ensue and Batman, Green Lantern, and later the Flash, take on Superman in an all out brawl.

After everyone realizes that they’re on the same side, things settle down and the heroes begin to try and unravel the mystery. The only clue they have is a strange box of extraterrestrial origin that was left behind by last issue’s villain. Meanwhile, at STAR Labs, the scientists have another one of the unearthly boxes. Neither the heroes or the scientists get very far into discovering the reason or source of the boxes before it’s all revealed as the true villain attacks!

Due to some scheduling and marketing switch-up on the part of DC, it’s been six weeks since the first issue of ‘Justice League’ hit shelves. Since this is intended to be an introduction to new DC readers, the first story arc is taking its time setting up and introducing the characters of the Justice League. We have four heroes now, we’ve seen brief scenes in both issues featuring Vic Stone who, as long-time readers know, will eventually become Cyborg and the final caption of this issue is “Next month: Wonder Woman”. I had a few qualms about the first issue because it was advertised as a slam-bang action comic and then ended up being a mystery with a little fighting tossed in. This issue amps the action up a little in the skirmish between Superman and the rest of the heroes and looks to be turning it up again with the villain in ‘Justice League’ #3. Now that I’ve settled into the slow burn build-up that Johns has taken with this title, I actually enjoy it quite a bit. Having only one or two characters introduced in an issue allows for some cool first-meeting scenes. It also allows for new readers, who may not be reading the other DC titles featuring these heroes on their own, to get to know who the Justice League team members are.

And what can I say about Jim Lee? He’s a legend. He designed the new look of DC’s New 52 so it’s a perfect fit for his highly stylized and detailed pencil work. The one thing I noticed is that the digital effects on top of Lee’s pencils are amazing! The Green Lantern’s constructs literally glow and appear almost 3-D on the 2-D page. Combine that with the Scott Williams inks on top of Lee’s art and this is one of the best looking comics on the shelves right now.

Verdict: Buy

JUSTICE LEAGUE #2 Written by GEOFF JOHNS Art and Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS